The Price of Peace
by Fallen-Gabriel
Summary: The war has left tensions high, and a young heiress must marry a certain Kage to strengthen relations between the nations. What is the price of true and total peace?
1. Chapter 1

The question is…How far would you go for peace? This is set three months after the war with Madara and Hinata is facing a crisis. The war has left tensions high and so, to appease and get everybody on a better side there is to be a wedding between two people from two different nations. This is an arranged marriage and unfortunately Hinata has been picked for her noble birth to be the bride…And the groom is the Raikage.

Send in the clowns, we'll have tragedy tonight and comedy tomorrow!

Chapter 1 – The Price of Peace…

S-s-s-S-s-s-S

"WHAT!" The Raikage stood from behind his desk, his hand slapped down on the table as he stared in shock at the Feudal Lord who sat across from him. His eyes bulged and the tendons in his neck strained under the intensity of his anger and a sweat drop rolled down the Daimyo's head.

"Raikage please try to understand where we are coming from," the Daimyo said delicately, "This will ease tensions and bridge peace between the nations."

"Bullshit!" The Kage roared as he sat back down and face palmed, growling loudly to himself as the Lord continued.

"Raikage, not only will this ease the other nations it could lead to better trade with the Hidden Leaf and would lead to better relations with more profitable allies," said the Daimyo, "the other Lords agree with me on the subject."

"I don't care – wait what?" A backlogged at what he had just said, "You're telling me I have to marry someone from the Leaf?" He gave an exasperated grunt and rubbed his eyes, trying to stem off the coming headache.

"Yes, it was already decided at a meet we had in the Land of Iron a month after the war when we saw the growing unease," said the Daimyo with a nod. A grunted and leaned forward, eyes locking with the bubbly Lord.

"Who is it?"

"Huh?" The Daimyo tilted his head and A growled.

"Who the fuck am I marrying?" He roared and stood, the Lord watching him with his steady gaze before standing, shuffling for the door.

"It will be decided it two days time when I go to the Land of Iron to meet with the Fire Daimyo, we will look at potential heiresses and when we make our decision I will travel back and inform you immediately," he still looked rather happy and A's teeth grit and clenched.

"No you aren't, I'm going with you," he grumbled and grabbed his Kage's hat from a nearby chair. The Lord peered at him under his bushy brows before smiling.

"Oh goodie, an escort! Well, come, come we haven't all day!" And he proceeded out with the Raikage close behind, although the larger man would like nothing more than to strangle the man before him he held himself back.

"Why did you choose to marry me off? Why not a high level Jounin?" A asked and the Daimyo looked over his shoulder at him with a thoughtful glance.

"Well," he turned back around and looked up at the ceiling before shrugging his shoulders, "you just seemed like the better choice. Being a Kage will make it easier to choose a potential bride, you don't care if she isn't a shinobi do you?" He asked and the Raikage grunted.

"I don't care who she is..."he grumbled.

S-s-s-S-s-s-s-S

"What?" Once the initial shock had worn off Tsunade was left staring at Homura and Koharu, who nodded at her, their eyes as lifeless as always. "You're telling me that some poor girl is going to have to marry that ass?" Tsunade seemed to whisper and a sweat drop rolled down her advisor's heads but they nodded again.

"Tsunade, please understand that this is to ease tension between the nations, all the Kages will be attending the wedding and the consummation will follow at least three weeks after. And since you are the Kage of the bride's village, you will do the physical to verify their union," Koharu said and Tsunade's jaw dropped.

"You can't be serious!" She roared but Homura spoke slowly and calmly after.

"This is a traditional arrangement Tsunade, meaning that they will not meet each other before the wedding and their spouses chosen by the Lords," and Tsunade fell back into her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose to rid herself of the coming headache.

"We were told the Raikage may favor a shinobi so we have compiled this list of potential brides for him," and Tsunade felt her heart stop for a brief second and sweat roll down the side of her face. "The parents have all agreed to it – albeit some with reluctance," _I wonder why,_ the Kage thought as Koharu continued, "and we would like you to take this to the meeting since the Feudal Lord requested you accompany him there."

Tsunade looked at the list and found five names…One at the bottom stopping her dead. Her eyes grew wide and she gulped at the sight because written in perfect scrawled writing was the name: _Hinata Hyuga._

"You have to be joking," she growled; her voice low and dangerous as she turned the board around and pointed to the name, "he tried to get her kidnapped when she was younger and now you hand her over on a silver platter! What the Hell is wrong with you?" She roared and stood, but the two before her shook their heads.

"If you had let us finish we would have given you this," Homura said and handed her a scroll with a seal on it.

"What is this?" Tsunade asked and Koharu nodded.

"If the Hyuga is chosen then the Raikage must agree – upon signing that paper – that he will do nothing to her eyes and leave them be. If any damage comes to her irises or anything of that nature, removal or perhaps testing than he will be forced to return her to the village with a sizeable sum for her and her family." Tsunade glared at the scroll in her hand as if it were its entire fault and then took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

This was going to be a long day…

**Two Days Later, In the Land of Iron…**

The Raikage and Hokage sat outside the doors of the meeting chamber, deadly quiet as it were and Tsunade almost grinned. The Raikage sat with his right ankle over his left knee, his right arm thrown over the chair behind him and his Kage hat in his lap…He was obviously tense. Tsunade herself sat with her arms thrown over the back of her chair and looking quite relaxed, trying to restrain herself from laughing at the other Kage.

She let out a snort on accident and clapped her right hand over her mouth to see A turn, his eyes narrowing on her. He'd been staring at that door since they got there, sitting closest to it and she knew he was trying to hear what they were saying. Tsunade sat on the opposite side of the room on a single chair while he sat on a couch.

"What are you laughing at?" He growled and Tsunade felt herself giggle.

"You," Tsunade said as if it should have been obvious with a smile and almost burst out laughing when his teeth grit. "Your just so tense…It's funny," Tsunade was worried for Hinata sure but some things were just too funny. Her worry had been shrouded when it came to the Raikage who looked downright disturbed.

"You wouldn't be laughing if you were the one getting married," he grumbled and Tsunade rolled her eyes. She just smiled and shook her head as the Raikage started talking to himself, "they've been in there for hours…What could they be talking about?" He leaned into the door and Tsunade closed her eyes, grin still in place and felt the need to settle down for a little nap.

What he said was true, they'd been in there for at least two hours and showed no sign of coming out soon so the Hokage resigned herself to sitting in silence till the Raikage threw something at her. She opened her eyes in a flash, startled and turned to see that he had thrown a small pillow at her knee.

"What the Hell are you doing?" Tsunade growled and the Raikage grunted, suddenly looking almost embarrassed.

"Are any of them…" he stopped and seemed to struggle a little bit and Tsunade just raised a brow, "what are they like?"

"Who?" Tsunade asked, her brow a little furrowed at his question and the Raikage's eyes narrowed.

"The girls," he grunted and Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. It was an honest question and for some reason she found the need to answer, deciding to give details on each of the girls may calm his nerves a little.

"Well first on the list is Amaya Miu, she is a loud mouth and sarcastic but level headed when it comes to the battle field," she said and the corner of the other Kage's mouth twitched. "Usually likes to spar and enjoys care free walks but I must say she has quite the fast temper."

"Second and third are from the same family, the Misaki clan. They are Chihiro and Aya, the two of them are twins and are very attractive but Aya is the baby of the two while Chihiro is very quiet and likes to be alone. Aya is a bit of a brat actually but she never misses her target while Chihiro…Well, she's a civilian but I hear she enjoys baking."

The Raikage shook his head and his face twisted up, "so you're telling me that I could get married to a deranged psycho, a brat, or a vampire?" Tsunade's mouth twitched at the corner and she sighed, "what about the other two?"

Tsunade chose slowly to respond, "Fourth is Riko. She doesn't have a last name because nobody knows it," one of A's brows shot up at this and Tsunade shook her head, "she works alone and is a shinobi at heart. Honestly I don't even know why she is on that list; I swear they needed her on there just to fill up room. Although I must say she has a thing for painting and she can be very eccentric sometimes…You'd almost never think she was a lethal killer."

A grimaced and wondered if Tsunade was lying to him about the last one but then he stopped. His brow furrowed and he watched her for a moment, "I thought there were five girls on the list?"

Tsunade's lips pursed and she nodded, "there are."

"What about the fifth?" And when Tsunade didn't answer he found himself getting irritated, "what about the fifth girl Tsunade?"

Just then the doors opened before A could yell again and the two Lords stepped out looking very pleased with themselves. "We have made our decision!" And Tsunade and A stood at the same time, eyes wide as the Fire Daimyo spoke, holding out a hand to the Raikage, "congratulations! Your bride to be is Hinata, of the Hyuga clan!" But the Lord took his hand away suddenly and turned to the other Daimyo, leaving the Raikage too shocked for words.

"We need that paper don't we?" The Lighting Daimyo nodded and they both looked at Tsunade expectantly, the Hokage walking forward and bringing a scroll out from her jacket.

"Here," and the Fire Lord undid the seal and looked up at A.

"You need to sign this, it's a document saying you will do nothing to harm the Hyuga's eyes," and A suddenly snapped his attention to the Lord.

"What?" He seemed to be pulled out of his initial shock as the Lord held out the scroll and nodded to the chamber inside.

"Follow me and I shall explain," he said and the two Kages strode inside where the Daimyo sat the scroll down on a table and then held out a pen to A. "This document says you will not harm her eyes in any way to obtain their ability, it didn't escape our notice what you tried to do when she was younger. This will keep you from doing anything too drastic to extract their power."

"Wait, what?" A growled and turned on Tsunade, who stood there looking somewhere between pained and angry. "So nothing happens to her eyes?" He growled and the two Lords nodded. A grumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting the growing ache that was coming. It had entered his mind that marrying the Hyuga may give them power of the Byakugan but this little paper forbid him to do anything.

"Fine," he growled and snatched the pen away, the scratching of the end over the paper the only sound for a moment before he tossed it down on the desk and felt anger bubble under his skin. The Fire Daimyo sealed the scroll and nodded.

"If you do not abide by these terms than a sizeable sum will go to her and her family for possible damages, you understand, yes?" He asked and A nodded with a grunt.

They were ushered from the room by the two Lords and A turned on Tsunade, who refused to look at him. "You knew she was the last one on the list…Didn't you?" He growled and Tsunade sighed, nodding slowly and he rubbed his temple. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"She's in love with Naruto," she stated and he stopped, turning his gaze to her.

"The Kyubi?" He whispered and she nodded, his eyes growing wide as he took a deep breath and let it out, "that's just fucking brilliant."

"Here," Tsunade said, holding out a folder to him and he eyed it.

"What's this?" He grunted and she sighed.

"All the medical information and personal things, it was compiled by her father and herself." She paused and the Raikage slowly took it from her, "now I have to go tell her. Damn," she whispered, "That folder was meant to be given to a suitor…Not…Oh Kami," she hissed and the Raikage glared at her.

"When do I meet her?" He grunted and Tsunade stopped.

"What?"

"Don't I meet her? They told me the wedding would be in about a month, here, in the Land of Iron," he growled and Tsunade coughed slightly.

"As I heard you meet at the altar." And there was a long pause when the Raikage stopped to totally turn his body and look down at her.

"What?" His voice made her almost cringe but she nodded, finally turning to look at him and she almost wished she hadn't. A's face was completely livid, his neck bulging, and his whole body tense as he shook with rage.

"You meet each other at the wedding, it's an arranged marriage A," she whispered, "this is how these things go. And after the wedding…Well," she continued as she looked down at the floor, "you will have two or three weeks after to consummate the marriage, and I will check Hinata to make sure that it was done."

There was a moment when everything was dead silent and still; Tsuande heard him take a shaky breath before he made his way for the door. Smashing it down he left and Tsunade let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She turned and watched his retreating back, the quivering rage inside him could be seen by his shaking form, the very air tensing around him.

**Two Days Later, In the Hidden Leaf Village…**

"Thank you for taking the time to inform us, Lady Tsunade," Hiashi said with a bow of the head, sitting on his knees. The mats below them were soft and Tsunade sat on her knees across from him with Hinata beside him. When Tsunade had first broken the news to them she had figured to see at least a flinch from the younger woman. But nothing, nothing happened when she told Hinata that she was marrying the Raikage and she just sat there. Her expression remained impassive as she stared at the floor and Tsunade almost wanted to comfort her.

Hinata's father glanced sideways at her before nodding to Tsunade, "could you leave us Lady Tsunade?" The Hokage looked hesitant before proceeding to stand and then leaving out the sliding door which closed behind her as she left the compound.

Hiashi put his fists on the floor and turned his mat to face his daughter, "you know what you must do…Correct? This is for the sake of the whole of the ninja nations."

Hinata nodded, her eyes feeling moist suddenly she shuddered, "m – May I b – b – be excused?" she whispered and her father nodded, causing her to stand and turn, leaving the room. Hinata never felt the rush of air against her face as she almost ran to her room and her father listened to her retreating footsteps with closed eyes.

Hinata fell to the floor in her room, barley having enough time to close the door behind her as she sobbed, "N – N – Naruto…I'm…I'm so sorry." She hissed against the ground as she buried her face into her arms and somewhere in her mind it entered that she was going to be with him her whole life. Hinata didn't know him, had never met him, and all she did know from the rumors was that he was a so called 'brute'.

The moments became hours and she wished that her tears would lead to sleep but all they led to was puffy eyes and a runny nose. Hinata cried till she couldn't cry anymore and felt something in her chest clenched when she thought of Naruto, his bright blue eyes and happy smile.

The door slid open and then closed slowly, a hand coming to rest on her shoulder and she turned her head quickly to see the jade eyes of her best friend. "Hinata?" Sakura whispered and Hinata's head spun from where she'd turned her head to fast. "Lady Tsunade told me everything…" Sakura said and she hung there for a second.

She was torn between asking if Hinata was alright or just staying silent, she chose the latter needless to say and just lie there with her friend. Sakura tucked under the blankets with her and embraced her as she started a new course of sobs; she'd heard about the Raikage a little but nothing ever good came of it.

"Hinata, those things they say about him…Those are just rumors. I'm sure he isn't **all** that bad," she whispered but she could taste the lie on her tongue. Sakura knew they said he was like a beast and even could take on the appearance of one but she shook her head slightly to clear the thought.

Hinata shuddered against her friend and sniffled, "I'm scared Sakura…What about Naruto?" And Sakura's brow furrowed in irritation.

"Don't worry about that moron right now!" Sakura hissed, "He'll be fine. It's you we're all worried about!"

"We?" Hinata asked and Sakura chuckled.

"Sure, Ten-ten, Ino, all of us are really worried about you." Sakura assured and Hinata nodded against her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered and Sakura looked taken aback.

"What," she said, "what are you talking about?"

"For worrying you," she said and Sakura sighed loudly.

"Hinata…Go to sleep," she said with a chuckle on her lips…She would need to teach her friend to be a little louder and speak up.

S-s-s-S-s-s-S

R&R please!


	2. Chapter 2

Thus continues to the marriage of the Raikage to Hinata Hyuga.

Chapter 2 – Wedding Arrangements

"Oh my god, you can't be serious!" Ino yelled, lying on her stomach as she stared, wide eyed and mouth open as Ten-Ten giggled.

"I'm serious," Ten-Ten chuckled, "they say Cloud guys are supposed to be **huge**…In more ways than one!" Ino shook her head in an exasperated manner and rolled over to lie on her back and sit up, crossing her legs and reaching to the tray to grab one of the finger foods there.

Ten-Ten, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and the visiting Temari sat in a circle around a large tray of appetizers and glasses of wine. They only got two bottles so they couldn't get drunk but they could get a little tipsy and do girl talk. "I can't believe you would say that Ten-Ten," Sakura said, shaking her head and Hinata blushed furiously across the way.

"And to think…Hinata gets to marry the biggest one of all!" Ino joked with a blush on her cheeks and Temari wondered if anybody had told the girl she was a light weight. Ino seemed to regain herself after a fit of laughter which Ten-Ten – who also seemed to be a light weight – joined in on also. "Oh, I'm sorry Hinata…It's just so funny!"

Sakura face palmed, peeking through her fingers to shake her head at the two young women across from her, schmoozing together as Temari took their glasses. "No more for you two!" She snapped and they both pouted before she spoke again, "besides this is to **comfort** Hinata…Not scare her."

"Yeah right!" Ten-Ten snorted, "I've heard the Raikage has had his nose broken three times and has scars and tattoos all over his body!"

Ino shook her head, "I've heard he has sharp teeth like a vampire and eats babies whole," she whispered and Hinata suddenly looked mortified, Sakura's brow twitching, and a very large sweat drop rolled down Temari's head.

"Uh…No," said the older blonde woman as she shook her head at Ino, "he does not eat babies and he has only two tattoos that I have seen." Sakura stopped and looked at Temari with a furrowed before it dawned on her.

"Wait, Temari you've met the Raikage haven't you!" Temari looked at Sakura and shrugged.

"Not really 'met' him but I've seen him and I can honestly say that he is very, very large." The others looked to her to elaborate and she sighed, leaning back on her hands but paused and silently grinned to herself. Why not give them something to talk about?

"He's really old, about as old as the third Hokage was before he died, really tall and somewhat lanky but with a little muscle here and there. He has a black shuriken tattoo on either one of his shoulders," she motioned and patted the place on her shoulder to explain where his were located. "He has dark skin and slicked back white hair with cold black eyes," she exaggerated and she when could see the look of horror on Hinata's face she stopped.

Sakura stuck her tongue out and shook her head, eyes closed in disgust while Ino's mouth was upturned at the corner and she looked grossed out. Ten-Ten snorted in laughter, clapping her hand over her mouth and Hinata looked ready to die in a hole.

Temari had to suppress the giggle that tried to surface from her throat as she sipped her wine to stop herself and the others just shivered. "Okay," Sakura said, dragging out the word. "Let's move on to a different subject," she said with a light laugh before looking at Hinata who was rocking herself in the fetal position in a corner of the room.

As she comforted her, the other girls decided to start playing a game that she didn't pay much attention to as she patted Hinata's back. "I'm – I'm marrying…Someone old enough to be my great grandfather," Hinata almost sobbed and Sakura turned to glare at the girls who crowded around Hinata to help calm her down.

Kankuro and Gaara sat outside sipping tea, listening to the girl's conversation and as Kankuro lowered the cup from his mouth he shook his head and sighed, "I will never understand girls."

Gaara didn't reply but simply sipped from his tea cup again; they were only in the village to preside over the chunin exam for a couple of days and the Hyuga's had agreed – partially he thought to have someone to comfort Hinata around – to take them in for their stay. Although he somewhat agreed with his brother he wondered why Temari didn't tell Hinata the truth about the Raikage.

True he was a fearful man but Gaara had seen his compassionate side, he was not such a bad man when it came down to it all and he doubted that Hinata would be unhappy while living with him. But he paused and started thinking – really thinking – about the match that had been made. As he had heard Hinata was very soft-spoken and had a stutter problem when she was under stress…Not to mention she grew easily embarrassed.

Gaara sighed and Kankuro turned to him, "hm…Something wrong?" Gaara shook his head, his brother and sister could read him so easily now…

"Nothing, just thinking," he supplied and returned to himself. There was the problem that Hinata had been almost kidnapped by him when she was younger, not to mention the Raikage's anger was also a problem. They seemed to have very few attributes that complimented each other but as far as Gaara knew…Maybe her quiet personality could compliment his…'Rather' loud one?

He shook his head slightly and wondered how terrified Hinata truly felt because when she was younger he had tried to literally steal her eyes from her. Even with him under contract…Could they truly trust him to take good care of the Hyuga? His jaw set slightly at the thought and he closed his eyes, not to mention…Naruto. The Kyubi Jinchuriki was in love with Hinata and he may not be willing to let her go so easily but as far as he knew the young blonde had evaded all contact since he'd heard.

Little talk of Naruto's reaction surfaced other than a pained expression and Gaara sympathized with him, closing his eyes to see a flash of blue eyes and a large smile. Re-opening them he gazed up at the moon and he whispered, "Kankuro?" His brother turned to him, holding his cup close to his mouth.

"What is it?"

"What if…Temari had been chosen…What would you do?" Gaara knew that had the Sand been chosen to be the village to offer up a bride that Temari would have been on the recommendation list. Since she was closely related to him and a powerful shinobi it would have been almost natural to choose her, but the Leaf had been chosen instead.

There was a long pause but then Kankuro coughed, "I guess…I would be kinda depressed at first." He stopped and looked down at his tea and sighed, "I'd probably be like Naruto, keep to myself and try to ignore it." He nodded and then cast a sideways look to Gaara, "Why?"

Gaara looked down at his own cup of tea before shaking his head, "No reason."

**In the Land the Lighting, the Hidden Cloud Village…**

A stared at the folder on his desk and rubbed his chin, narrowing his eyes on it and grumbling something incoherent to himself as Darui and C watched from the other side of the room. "What is that?" C asked as he leaned to the side and Darui shook his head and shrugged.

"I don't know," and he turned back around to look at a book he had in his lap.

"He keeps staring at it…I wonder if it's about the wedding." C whispered and held his chin and eyed the Raikage. A didn't even look at him as he nudged the folder with an exasperated exhale before mumbling something to himself.

Darui looked back over his shoulder at the Raikage and raised a brow, "might as well find out." He closed the book and walked over, stopping in front of the desk and looking at the Kage. "What's with the folder boss?" He asked and A snapped his attention to him, coughing slightly.

"It's uh…It's her information," he grunted and Darui noticed that he looked rather stressed as he stared down at it with a cross between a disgruntled and curious gaze.

"You…Uh, gunna open it?" Darui asked, raising a brow and A looked up at him angrily before grunting and playing with the cover using his index finger. "You might figure out what she looks like if you open it," Darui said as C came up behind him and examined the folder as well.

The Raikage reached forward and grabbed the cover, gulping slightly and the other two leaned in curiously to view the Hyuga as well when the door slammed open, "yo, bro, whose the lovely lady your getting with?" Bee called as he kicked the door open and the two jounin turned to see the Jinchuriki of the Hidden Cloud grinning at them.

A large sweat drop rolled down the Raikage's head and he grumbled, going back to staring at the folder, Darui and C exchanging glances and sighing. They turned to Bee with irritated gazes and he looked taken aback, giving a slight cough as he made his way over to stand in between the two before A's desk. He motioned to the folder, "What's that?"

"Her information," Darui said and C nodded, Bee glancing at it before reaching forward. His hand grazed the top before a large palm was slapped against his forehead and the two jounin watched as Bee was 'Iron Clawed' by his older brother. A was virtually pulling Bee over the desk as he reached him and Bee let out a choked cry of pain as he did so.

A looked pissed and yelled, "who the Hell said you could open it?" C and Darui stepped back and shook their heads as A released Bee and he slammed down on the ground in a heap. A sat back down in a huff and sweat rolled down the side of his face as he slowly opened the folder. Bee was suddenly standing and all three of them crowded around to see the young Hyuga.

Darui's eyes grew slightly wider, C looked completely shocked, and a very large sweat drop rolled down Bee's head at the sight. A on the other hand looked like he was dying slowly as they all looked at a girl who couldn't have been older than sixteen or seventeen. Darui let out a low whistle and took in a deep breath, "uh…Boss. Did you know how old she was before you decided to marry her?"

A's hand was still poised with the cover – holding it open -, his eyes wide as he stared at the photo and he shook his head, his gaze never leaving the Hyuga's face. C and Bee exchanged glances and Bee stood up, rubbing the back of his head

"Well, uh…At least she's attractive?" Bee supplied and everyone looked back at the photo again. Indeed, she was borderline beautiful with pale skin, dark hair, and those eyes. Darui and C suddenly stopped at the sight and C tilted his head.

"Wait a minute…That can't be. The only people with eyes like those would be a-"C started.

"Hyuga," A cut him off and closed the folder. He sighed loudly and all three men stared at him in total shock as he rested his chin on his palm and grumbled, "She's the one we tried to kidnap a few years back." There was a long pause and Darui broke the silence by giving a slight cough.

"How do they know we won't take her eyes?" Darui asked and A nodded a large scroll on his desk.

"I signed an official document saying I wouldn't, if I do then I have to pay a couple million ryu to her and her family," he grunted and Darui looked at the scroll. It was obviously a copy of the real thing and he turned to look back at A before nodding.

"Seems fair all considering," and A himself nodded in agreement. It was fair…They had literally tried taking her sight from her; this was a way to keep that from happening ever again. In a way though, A was relieved that he didn't have to think about trying to steal her eyes, it would make his life so much easier than scheming and plotting to take them. Now that he was forbidden to, the council wouldn't nag his ass.

Bee's brow rose slowly though, "what about her family? You telling me they actually agreed to let the man who nearly killed their daughter take her away and **marry** her?" A nodded slowly and sat up, leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah, she was on the recommendation list," he said and opened the folder again to gaze into those eyes.

"So when do you meet her?" C chipped in and A felt a vein throb in his forehead when he asked that. The others looked taken aback as something like rage flashed across the Raikage's face before he closed the folder again.

"I don't," he growled and Bee tilted his head.

"Say what?"

"I don't meet her before the wedding, it's an arranged marriage," he grumbled and wished they would stop prying into it. Darui seemed to sense this but C pressed on, eyes watched the Raikage in something reminiscent to pity.

"But that means you wouldn't have long to consummate the marriage right?" Bee and Darui turned to him with shocked expressions and A nodded gravely. C mumbled something to himself but they all heard him, "that means somebody would have to check her."

"Woah, woah, check her?" Bee asked and C nodded.

"Check her and verify the union." And Bee's eyes grew wide as he turned to Darui and then to A.

"You telling me you have to fuck her to make it official?" Bee looked exasperated and Darui's eyes widened slightly, his eyes turning to gaze at the Kage as well, who sighed and nodded again. "That…That just ain't right," Bee said as he flipped the cover over once more to gaze at her, "bro she…She looks really tiny."

All the men cringed in unison and stared at the young girl…She did look small. A glanced down at his nether regions for a moment and grimaced…He wasn't exactly 'average' either. The other men seemed to notice his gaze and exchanged troubled glances, "uh…We're just gunna go now. Okay, boss?" Darui said and grabbed C and Bee by the collar, taking them from the room before the Raikage had time to answer.

_I'm screwed,_ he thought as he rubbed his eyes, closing the lid of the folder as not to see his soon to be wife. It troubled him greatly…He couldn't imagine how this girl felt, being told she would have to be with him her whole life. And what if she wanted children? Would being married to him change her mind about it? Did the Daimyos expect them to have a child?

A rubbed his temple with his remaining hand and grumbled, eyes closed and taking a deep breath. Kids…He personally had never wanted children. A had thought that children were a bit of a nuisance but as he thought more of the girl he wondered…He'd never thought that a kid would be something he wanted. And honestly he still didn't but again…What if she did?

His brow furrowed as he stared at her eyes and it seemed almost as if he wanted the picture to come to life and tell him the answer. Two or three weeks…And only a month before the wedding, he couldn't imagine how the girl must feel…

**The Next Day, the Hidden Leaf Village…**

"Is this all you own Hinata?" Ino asked while she packed a few clothes in a small box, "we could carry everything except maybe that big chest your father is giving you."

Hinata looked rather embarrassed as she placed a few things into her pack before whispering, "W – well…You see I've never b – been very m – materialistic but…" she stopped and Temari's brow rose as she moved one of the boxes closer to the door. There were only three boxes and by the looks of it they would only need two or three more for all the little trinkets around her room.

"The Raikage won't be too crazy about her whispering everything and stuttering," Temari whispered as she came into range of Sakura who turned to her and sighed. She shook her head, eyes closed before mumbling.

"We've been trying to boost her confidence but it's not working…She's a nervous wreck." Sakura said and they both turned to see the young heiress packing away some small glass animal before she moved for something else. "Her father is giving her mother's hope chest to her," Sakura murmured and Temari raised a brow, "she used to play in it with her sister…It's rather important to her."

"Think we can lug that thing all the way up there?" Temari asked as she looked out the door to see several servants carrying a rather large wooden piece of furniture closer to Hinata's room. They sat it down and the blonde's eyes went wide as she viewed the very old wood, carved with ancient symbols on the sides and decorative patterns. The handles were large and black, worn away from use obviously, the outlines of where fingers were made giving it a very homely appearance.

"Sasuke and Naruto volunteered to help carry everything," Sakura said and Temari turned to her with wide eyes. "I know…You think it would be a bad idea to bring Naruto along but he insisted on helping Hinata out at the wedding."

Temari shook her head and turned back to look at the chest, "can't believe they want to lug all this stuff to the Land of Iron," she said and crossed her arms.

Sakura shrugged, "they're going to move it to the Land of Lightning after the wedding…We're just going up there to set everything up. Mifune said we could use his compound for the ceremony and they get to spend the night there."

Temari visibly grimaced, "her honeymoon…In the Land of Iron?" Sakura nodded gravelly, "and I take it you're all going as bridesmaids and to help out?"

"Yeah, we have to spruce up the rooms Mifune is going to let us use and at least add a little color." Sakura said as Ino made her way over and set down a box next to them, Hinata packing up the last few things.

"What are you two gossiping about?" Ino asked, leaning on the door frame and the two exchanged glances before shaking their heads.

"Nothing," Temari stated and walked back into the room but stopped when she noticed nothing was left. "Although you think as an heiress Hinata would own more than just five boxes worth of stuff," Temari said, turning to look back at the two in the doorway. Hinata packed up the last box and stood with it in her arms, turning to look up at them as Ten-Ten examined the hope chest.

"I'm sorry, we're you all saying something?" Hinata asked and Ten-Ten gasped, running her fingers along some of the inscriptions on the chest.

"Hey! This chest has ninja seals on it!" Temari, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata crowded around the weapon specialist and watched as she traced a specific circle and several little signs around it. "Yeah…Here and here," she traced some more of the signs and everyone paused. Temari's brow furrowed as she traced over some herself.

"Yeah…She's right…Among all these other carvings they look like just a bunch of swirls. But here, and here, there's no way. It's like whoever carved this was trying to hide the signs," Temari whispered and Sakura kneeled down to view the front of the chest. There were seals all over the wood and they all stroked its surface, finding more and more.

"They overlap, there are so many…" Sakura said and they all stopped. "I wonder what they're for," Sakura said as she stood and Temari shrugged. Ino looked at Hinata whose eyes were straying over it with curiosity.

"Can you see anything Hinata?" She asked and Hinata looked up at the blonde woman before looking back down and veins throbbed on the side of her eyes. Her gaze made over the entire chest and her eyes widened slightly as her brow furrowed.

"Your right…There are dozens of them, there are a few chakra signatures but I think that's from past use. The chakra…It…It's like my own," she lowered her hand to the chest and something on the surface changed and all the girls watched with wide eyes as the inscriptions shifted, some of the seals blending together to create a larger one among the decorations on the chest.

"What are you all doing?" A voice came from the right side of them and they turned with wide eyes as Hiashi stood only a few feet away from the group. Hinata quickly withdrew her hands, the signs swirling back to their original places before stopping.

"N – Nothing!" Sakura offered, standing behind Temari whose eyes were wide and sweat rolled down the side of her face. "We were…Just…Finishing with the packing!" They all started shuffling around again and his brow furrowed slightly at the odd behavior the girls were starting to exhibit.

He shook his head and nodded to Hinata, "come with me…" He said it rather bluntly and the girls turned to see the uncertainty on Hinata's face before she bowed her head and followed her father. When they were well out of earshot the girls let out a collective breath, Ino with her hands on her hips, Temari with her arms crossed, and Sakura just standing their idly.

"Why do I get the feeling he's an ass hole?" Temari asked and Ino snorted in laughter, Sakura just shaking her head as Ten-Ten went back to studying the inscriptions.

"Come on, we need to get this stuff out to the front of the village so the boys can pick it up and we can get a move on. The wedding is only in a month so we should get started out today," Sakura said and nodded to the other three who picked up the chest together and slowly made their way through the village. Ino and Ten-Ten carried the front half while Sakura and Temari were at the back; watching village life till the Kazakage, along with Kankuro appeared.

"Temari," Gaara said, arms crossed over his chest as his brother stood next to him. "You should go with these young women to help with the ceremony in the Land of Iron." Temari looked shocked but then it clicked as she watched her brother, _better relations if a Sand nin helps out at the wedding…Good one Gaara_. She thought sarcastically before nodding and her brothers disappeared in a soft _whoosh_.

"Wow," Sakura said as she turned to look at Temari, "welcome to the club!" She grinned and Temari laughed as they continued on. They stopped for a breather along the way before picking the chest back up and Ino grunted from the front rather angrily.

"Those boxes together weren't that heavy! Fucking chest…" She kept grumbling and Ten-Ten rolled her eyes from beside the blonde. As they neared the entrance to the village they came into the sight of two young shinobi. The raven haired Uchiha was looking up at the sky with dark eyes while Naruto had his arms folded behind his head.

"Sasuke!" Ino called, suddenly dropping the chest and the other three put it down suddenly and stared in exasperation as the blonde grabbed onto him in a hug from behind. He glared at her, his brow twitching as Naruto turned to the other girls. He looked almost hopeful but stopped when he saw the absence of one particular girl and they watched his frown appear.

"Ino pig! Get the Hell off him!" Sakura roared and Sasuke frowned deeply. Some things never changed…At least he could count on them to keep doing this. Ever since he came back they had started up their rivalry again and he was just the monkey in the middle, desperately in an irritated way trying to get away from them.

Naruto walked over and picked up the front half with ease with no help from Ten-Ten and proceeded to walk to the entrance, Sasuke appearing in the back to take the handle from Temari. They sat it down and Sasuke turned to the girls, "where is Hinata?"

They exchanged glances before Ten-Ten said, "her father called her off. I don't think she-"She stopped when Hinata appeared, wearing her usual clothes and walking briskly past them.

"Hinata?" Sakura asked and reached for her but she shrugged her off.

"Let's just go," she sounded ready to cry and they watched her, Sasuke even silenced by her sudden change in demeanor. Naruto moved to catch up with her but Sakura held a hand up, shaking her head and he just picked up the chest again. Sasuke did the same to the other end as they made their way out of the village, the Land of Iron couldn't have seemed closer…

**The Land of Iron…Six Days Later (20 Days before the Wedding)**

"This is so…Depressing," Ino frowned as she looked around and Sakura made a face as she looked at the grey and white that surrounded them. It was nerve wracking really, being in a land so quiet that the only sound was their breathing and the gentle fall of snow. "We are…Going to have to like…Add so much color," she whispered and Temari shook her head.

"Yeah, it's pretty quiet out here." Ten-Ten hissed, as if worrying someone might hear them, "it's creepy…" They made their way through the small village, surrounded by samurai – some of which who carried the chest – and stopped when they came to a very large stone wall with iron doors. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances and looked back up to the intimidating fortress.

"This is Mifune's compound," said the leader, knocking on the door with a gentle _tap_ping sound that made the girls gulp. The doors slowly creaked open and they were ushered inside to a very large building with ice cycles hanging from the roof and a bridge going over a small frozen river. Long yards of flat snow surrounded the large mansion and they stared at the bleakness with wide eyes.

"It looks like a vampire's house," Ten-Ten muttered as she stood behind Sakura, who bit her lower lip. Hinata shivered and Sakura touched her shoulder…This was where she was getting married. The pink haired kunoichi felt something mar at her heart because the supposed most important day in Hinata's life was going to be spent in this dark place.

"It won't look this way by the time we're done with it," Sakura whispered to the dark haired woman in front of her who gulped, looking over her shoulder at her and smiling in a nervous way. The group made their way over the bridge and up the long flights of stairs before they were let inside and greeted by Mifune himself. The elder man bowed to them and they all did in return, their eyes scanning the walls and pillars that surrounded them.

"Please…Let me show you to your rooms and where the ceremony will be planned. You may tell me of any plans you have and I will get you anything you need, flowers or decorations." He nodded and his eyes scanned their faces till they fell on Hinata, something like sympathy crossing his face before he turned back to them and nodded.

He showed them around and they made themselves at home in their rooms before he led them to the chamber they were using for the ceremony. The room was large and pillars made their way around the room, with suits of armor along the walls and they gulped. It was dark and very cold, obviously before; this room had been used for storage. He left them so that they could decide on their own and the girls gulped.

"Well, we have our work cut out for us," Temari said, looking at the pillars that were in a circle around the center of the room, leaving a wide space in the middle. "We could make this the dance floor," she said, stepping in between the pillars and looking at the large place in between them. Sakura nodded and looked around; they could fit at least a dozen or more couples on the circle made up by the pillars.

Sakura tied her hair back and nodded, slapping her hands together and rubbing them, "let's get started!"

**In the Land of Lightning, the Hidden Cloud Village…**

"What?" A asked, looking up at Darui who nodded.

"Right now, your bride to be is in the Land of Iron planning the wedding with quite a few friends," he said and chuckled. A made a face when he said 'bride to be' and grumbled.

"So she is taking care of everything…Decorations, all that stuff," he waved his hand slightly in the air and Darui nodded. A grunted and stood, making his way around the room before he stopped, "there's no way they'd let me in there to see her would they?"

"Well the Land of Iron is neutral ground so I think it would be alright if you went down there but she's on Mifune's compound so, no, I don't think they'll let you in to see her." Darui said, looking over his shoulder to see the Raikage stop.

A sucked his teeth for a moment before nodding, "alright…Well…" But Darui could see the plan forming in his mind.

S-s-s-S-s-s-S

R&R please!


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